Gaza

With violence escalating over the past week, now is the time for both Palestinians and Israelis to show immediate restraint, says humanitarian aid agency Oxfam. All sides must do everything they can in order to protect innocent civilians.

On June 20, 2010, following concerted international pressure, the Government of Israel announced a set of measures to ‘ease’ its illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Oxfam welcomes the Israeli government's announcement that it will allow more items to enter Gaza. This is a step in the right direction.

Following the announcement by the Israeli security cabinet that it will liberalize the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza and expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects under inter

EU Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting today in Luxembourg discussed how the EU could best support the lifting of the blockade on Gaza. Oxfam welcomes the discussion, but is disappointed that it failed to result in a concrete plan to end the blockade.

Oxfam today warned that the Gazan economy, which has been almost completely destroyed by three years of isolation, will continue to unravel unless the blockade is completely and immediately lifted.

Oxfam condemns Monday’s attack on the aid flotilla that resulted in the killing of a number of passengers and it links the tragedy to the failure of Israel and the international community to lift the three year blockade on the Gaza Strip.

While Oxfam has no connection to the Gaza flotilla, we condemn any use of violence and loss of life which occured when the Israeli navy intercepted it at sea.

As EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton prepares to visit the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Oxfam International urges her to make the immediate lifting of the Israeli-imposed blockade her top priority.

The international community has betrayed the people of Gaza by failing to back their words with effective action to secure the ending of the Israeli blockade which is preventing reconstruction and recovery.